Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000: Running a Business in Today's Consumer-Driven World » (Unabridged)

PETE BLACKSHAW is executive vice president of strategic services at Nielsen Online. A former coleader of interactive marketing at Procter & Gamble and a graduate of University of California at Santa Cruz, and then Harvard Business School, he has been on the cutting edge of online media, consumer opinion, and word-of-mouth behavior for more than a decade, and is quoted frequently in the media. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

New-media pioneer Pete Blackshaw contends that because anyone with a computer can broadcast an opinion to millions and derail a multibillion-dollar company or undermine a global brand, companies today need to build and maintain credibility on every front.

Publishers Weekly

In June 2006, a man named Vincent Ferrari had a shockingly combative conversation with an AOL sales rep; he recorded it and posted it on YouTube. More than 62,827 viewings later, AOL's reputation was irretrievably damaged. In the digital age, disgruntled customers are now in the driver's seat, argues Blackshaw in this thoughtful and engaging book. With the advent of Consumerist.com and other venues where customers can blow off steam about bad service or deficient products, consumer generated media is a force to be reckoned with. Since consumers trust other consumers above companies or brands, a company's success depends on its credibility and its ability to gain the trust and support of Web-savvy, outspoken and influential customers. Through remarkable stories of mass consumer advocacy and the power of bloggers and ordinary Joes with an Internet connection and a bone to pick, Blackshaw advises executives on how to build credibility into their businesses through blogs, Web sites and video postings. Informative, energetic and entertaining, this is a marvelous argument for corporate responsibility and accountability, interesting to laypeople and instructive for executives. (July)

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Acknowledgments     ix
Introduction     1
The Credibility of the Commons and the Core Credibility Drivers     13
The Consumer's the Boss: Today's New Consumer-Generated World     40
Measuring CGM     62
Not All Marketers Are Liars: Marketing and Advertising with Credibility     89
Postcards from the Welcome Mat: Credibility and Your Web Site     106
This Company May Be Monitored for Quality Purposes: Credibility in Your Product     122
No Place to Hide: Credibility and the CEO     133
The Neglected Stepchild: Consumer Affairs     149
When Your Company Is Googled: Troubleshooting     162
Epilogue     183
Notes     187
Index     188